Tawnypelt's Faith
by RainbowPrisms
Summary: In ShadowClan, StarClan seems to have more plans for Tawnypelt than she thinks. All is normal until Russetfur dies, and a new deputy is to be appointed. When that choice is Tawnypelt, she must grow to face new obstacles that will challenge her deputyship. AU. Contains spoilers for OOTS and AVOS.
1. Chapter 1: Respite

**This story has major spoilers for both Omen of the Stars and A Vision of Shadows (If I ever get that far, anyway.) This also takes place during Omen of the Stars, after The Fourth Apprentice. You have been warned.**

 **Art by dewpewls on Tumblr. (If I can't use it, I'll remove it then)**

 **I do not own Warriors. Characters and situations are created by Erin Hunter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Respite**

The morning air was thick with mist, the milky light of dawn shining its rays above ShadowClan's territory. Tawnypelt led Starlingpaw, her apprentice, through the cool, forest territory. The large trees and shadows helped them against the heat, especially since it was greenleaf. Starlingpaw looked around curiously, the tabby ginger tom following after his mottled, tortoiseshell mentor.

Tawnypelt glanced back, making sure that her apprentice was still there. "So, where do you think we should hunt?" she asked, smiling as Starlingpaw gave her a confused look.

"You're the mentor," Starlingpaw confirmed, nodding his head. "And besides, how should I know? This place is just a huge marsh." To prove his point, he dug his claws into the earth, feeling the wet and muddy ground beneath his paws.

"And you know you're going to clean your paws before you hunt, right? Not only are you about to disrespect your prey, but it's just gross to the cat who is going to eat it." Tawnypelt replied coolly, her emerald green eyes twinkling in mischief as she continued to walk forwards. Perhaps Tigerstar had influenced her with not just fighting skills, but with words as well.

Starlingpaw froze, his sky blue eyes widening in fear, then confusion. "Hey! That's not fair at all! It's just some mud. Besides, I can wash it at the stream!" he protested, following the lean, pale-furred she-cat as she padded off towards a better hunting place.

* * *

It was already sunrise when Tawnypelt and Starlingpaw finally made it back to the camp, with Tawnpelt holding a frog and lizard in her jaws and Starlingpaw running off with Pinepaw to share his shrew he had caught. She realized Russetfur had already completed the patrols, with only some cats staying behind. The tortoiseshell looked around the camp, watching the activities pass around her like a blur. Flametail was tending Tigerheart's paw, which he claimed was now sore. She watched her sons interact, smiling as she listened to their laughable conversation.

"How could you get hurt from a _pine needle_?" Flametail laughed as he chewed burdock into a pulp.

"It... it just hurts okay. It was a pointy needle, too." Tigerheart added, his brown, tabby pelt heating up with embarrassment.

"Yeah, right." Flametail stated, focused intently on his brother's paw.

Tawnypelt continued to move forward, managing to spot Ivytail and Kinkfur in the nursery, gushing over the small, yet adorable kits. Sighing, she dropped her prey in the fresh-kill pile, spotting her mate, Rowanclaw, talking to their daughter, Dawnpelt, who looked rather annoyed.

"What's going on here?" Tawnypelt asked teasingly as she brushed her fur against Rowanclaw and licked Dawnpelt on her cheek.

"Ugh! Mom! I'm too old for that," the cream-furred she-cat stated, shaking her mother off and refusing to look at her parents. "And besides, I'm a warrior now," she added proudly, puffing her chest in pride.

"That doesn't mean your mother and I can love you any less," Rowanclaw stated, his tail flicking towards Tawnypelt.

"Well, can you stop bothering me? I told Crowfrost I would go hunting with him this morning." Dawnpelt eagerly said, searching for the black and white tom, avoiding her parent's gazes as she scampered off to go find him.

Rowanclaw turned around, looking at Tawnypelt pleadingly. "Ah.. you see, Dawnpelt is having tom troubles..." Rowanclaw trailed off, obviously embarrassed that he had to talk about the ordeal in the first place.

Tawnypelt looked at him, her leaf green eyes widening in realization. "I thought she didn't like Crowfrost?" Her daughter was troublesome and changed her mind quickly, but she never thought that someone could love someone out of the blue so fast. Especially when they resented each other in the first place.

Rowanclaw only shrugged at his mate, confused as well. "I thought she just viewed him as a clanmate,"

Tawnypelt mustered out a sigh. "I believe Dawnpelt can make her own decisions. She's a bit too old for us to be checking in on her all the time, you know?" she let out a small smile at the dark ginger tom.

"...I suppose." Rowanclaw hesitantly replied, staring off into the sky.

* * *

Tawnypelt kept her gaze on the ground. On the trees, the leaves that grew on it, anything to not meet her deputy staring at her. Russetfur had been staring at her all day long, whispering to Blackstar, in which he would nod hesitantly because he probably didn't understand what Russetfur was doing and why.

It had started after talking to Rowanclaw after Dawnpelt's tom troubles. Russetfur would give her a serious look. She even looked sad at one point, in which Tawnypelt had returned it with a half-smile. Anything to not make her look weak. Especially in front of her deputy.

 _What's going on? Why does she keep looking at me like that?_ Tawnypelt could feel her heart beating rapidly.

 _What's going to happen to me?_

* * *

By nightfall, the looks had stopped, and Tawnypelt was immensely grateful for that. She was already in the warriors' den, curled into her mossy nest. Most of the warriors were in the den already sleeping, or trying to sleep. The she-cat was exhausted, having to train her apprentice at dawn, hunt, and do so much more things that Blackstar had assigned her during the daytime.

 _At least my own leader can trust me._ The thought had popped into her head more than once. To help her realize that not all things in ShadowClan were bad. That things could be good in ThunderClan, but ShadowClan would always come up to the top.

But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself, it would always crumble her spirits down. It was not the first time she had thought this, nor would it be the last. Tawnypelt could only think of Brambleclaw when she heard of ThunderClan. When she heard ShadowClan, she could only think of Tigerstar.

 _But ShadowClan has changed. Not every cat is bad. Tigerstar was just a horrible leader._ And Tawnypelt was right. She had to be.

But Brambleclaw. Starlingpaw had reminded her of her brother. Oh, Brambleclaw. Her brother, her littermate. One of the few, if not only, cats she had trusted in the clan she was born. She remembered when they were apprentices, fooling around. She remembered how when the elders made rude or snide comments towards her relation to Tigerstar, Brambleclaw would always cheer her up. The memories of Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw- not pelt- seemed to fade, like a StarClan cat being forgotten.

The thought of that made Tawnypelt feel even more dejected.

Tawnypelt remembered Tigerstar bribing her to join ShadowClan, and she, being naive, joined him. She would never forget the look of sorrow, betrayal, and a small hint of anger in Brambleclaw's gaze from that day. She had joined and worked through many hardships to earn her place in ShadowClan. How could she ever leave her clanmates now?

Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt were old enough now. Old enough to understand that not all things last forever.

Tawnypelt looked out of the den, watching the moon as it reflected its pale light towards her, shining her mottled fur.

Satisfied, she curled her tail around her body, listening to the lulling snores of her denmates as she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **Did I just give side characters personality? Yeah. Do I regret it? Nope.**

 **Alright, so, as I said before, this takes place after The Fourth Apprentice. Specifically, this chapter is set during Fading Echoes. Basically behind the scenes :]**

 **Also, please tell me if I got anything wrong. It could be herbs, grammatical errors, etc. Just tell me so I can fix it, lol. I don't want my story to be a jumbled mess. (Even though it probably already is _) It would also be nice if I got some suggestions or ideas for future chapters! And yes, chapters will be relatively short. 1k words or a little more each.**

 **Happy reading,**

 **-RP**


	2. Chapter 2: An Unexpected Visitor

**I'm sorry for not uploading for a long time. I was just being lazy, and then I had to finish up a book project yesterday. Anyways, here's another chapter!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Warriors, characters belong to Erin Hunter.**

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 **Chapter 2: An Unexpected Visitor**

Tawnypelt yawned, feeling the warm sun's rays shine on her fur. She groaned, hearing the distant sound of two arguing clanmates. _What a bunch of ruckus. It's not like some cats are trying to sleep!_ she thought bitterly, finally getting up from her moss bed.

''-loved us- wouldn't have lied!"

''-truth- great isn't it!"

Tawnypelt stretched, looking around the warriors' den. It was mostly empty, apart from her and Scorchfur. Together, they parted from the warriors' den only to be greeted with two ThunderClan cats. She saw Squirrelflight and Jayfeather, looking around while Oakfur yowled an alarm to the clan. Ferretpaw looked disgusted, but that was an expected reaction of a ShadowClan cat toward a ThunderClanner. She felt relieved when she saw Pinepaw and Starlingpaw sharing a shrew, jumping in the clearing when they had finished. Of course, she felt prideful that her apprentice was able to catch prey more stealthily now.

Tawnypelt looked at Squirrelflight, who had taken the lead and asked for Littlecloud. Both she and Jayfeather entered the leader's den with Blackstar. Finally, Tawnypelt was able to let out a sigh of relief. One she didn't realize she was holding. ThunderClan scent was becoming a stench rather than a nostalgic memory now. After living in ShadowClan for so long, it was to be expected.

Past the leader's den, she overheard something about broken hind legs and Briarpaw. _Poor scrap._ _She's only a -paw, too._ Tawnypelt exited the camp to find herself some prey, thinking bitterly about the life as a wildcat. _It's amazing how the world moves on as if you are just a speck of dust in the wind._ Lowering her head, she felt her dark thoughts surfacing.

 _''You're Tigerstar's daughter?"_

 _"Get away from her! She might hurt you!"_

 _"Disgusting brat..."_

 _"Traitor!"_

Tawnypelt flinched at the last thought. The word traitor echoed in her mind loudly. _Traitor, traitor, traitor..._

"Am I really a traitor?" she whispered sadly, closing her eyes. She felt as if another cat was with her, watching her struggle with her thoughts. Yet, nobody came to help her.

* * *

Dusk had come quickly, and Tawnypelt was padding back to camp, her thoughts finally cleared. She went into her camp, only to be surprised, yet again, with ThunderClan's leader, accompanied by the medicine cat, Jayfeather. Again. _How many ThunderClan cats can fit in ShadowClan's camp?_ the tiny sound in her head mewed.

"Firestar?" Tawnypelt questioned, her voice rang across the clearing.

Ratscar was padding towards Blackstar's den. "He wants to speak to Blackstar." the tom growled lowly, irritated at how many ThunderClan cats came in one day.

Tawnypelt looked at the den, only to see Blackstar was already heading out. "Why has ThunderClan's leader come to talk to ShadowClan?" Her leader's sharp mew sounded one with much suspicion.

The tortoiseshell she-cat couldn't keep up with the conversation. They were quiet, then loud, and finally, slipped into the den. From inside the den, Blackstar called for Russetfur and Littlecloud. The russet she-cat and small tom padded towards the den, and Tawnypelt couldn't help but cringe. Russetfur looked frail and old, her limbs very stiff. Of course, Littlecloud gave her strengthening herbs. Russetfur was becoming old now. Too old. Tawnypelt couldn't help but wonder what might happen if a cat just attacked her. Brushing the idea off, she narrowed her eyes.

"What could Firestar possibly want from us?" she heard Ivytail ask, her tail wrapped protectively around her body.

Kinkfur could only shake her head. "I'm not sure, but it looks as if they might be asking for trouble." the she-cat replied, her eyes narrowed towards the leader's den.

As soon as they had come, Firestar and Jayfeather had left the den. It wasn't over, though. Not in the slightest.

"Toadfoot! Crowfrost! Ratscar! Escort them from our territory!" Blackstar yowled, his voice clearly setting the tone that he was enraged by the two. Tawnypelt couldn't help but let her fur ruffle. Blackstar was never usually this angry. His loud, booming voice prickled the fur of her clanmates. The air was filled with hostility as if any cat would tackle the medicine cat and leader altogether.

 _Oh, StarClan. Just what do they want from us? We haven't touched your prey in a long time._ Tawnypelt felt uneasy. Something big was coming, and she didn't like it. Not one bit.

* * *

Tawnypelt awoke in a misty, dark forest. The air was thick with tension, the grass beneath her paws icky and filled with mud. Slowly, she gathered her wits and began exploring, her eyes scanning the bushes and trees for anything peculiar.

"Hello, Tawnypelt," a loud, deep voice cooed smoothly. The dappled she-cat's eyes widened in surprise, her breath hitching as her heart beat loudly in her chest.

 _No, it can't be! Not again!_ she hissed at the tom, slowly moving back.

"Don't be afraid, my daughter," Tigerstar walked every pawstep Tawnypelt took back.

"What do you want from me? I already told you _moons_ ago that I would never train with you!" Tawnypelt yowled out, her tail lashing wildly. She would not be used as a tool for her father. Not like Brambleclaw.

"Ah, but you see, I've got an offer for you," The large tabby stared at her expectantly.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that..." Tawnypelt replied, letting out a shaky sigh.

"You don't remember those looks Russetfur gave you? She's going to die soon, and she knows it. It's pathetic," Tigerstar grinned at her, enjoying her wide-eyed reaction.

"Impossible! Nobody can predict death! And how do _you_ know about what's going on in my life?" Tawnypelt felt her fur ruffle. Her father was mad. Sick. Disgusting.

"I've been watching you. Your brothers and sister already got everything they wanted. But what about you? Don't you want to be the deputy of your clan?" Tigerstar's immediate reply made her sick to her stomach.

Tawnypelt went silent for a moment. "No. I don't. I don't want Russetfur to die. You're an awful cat if you actually think I would wish death upon someone!" she hissed. She would never be as low as Hawkfrost, either. Never.

"It's funny, isn't it? No matter what you say, it'll happen. I'll make it happen," Tawnypelt could feel her world blur around her, as she crashed into the ground. ''It's too late already, Tawnypelt. Hawkfrost has already told Ivypaw, and soon, you'll be following my orders, whether you like it or not..." Tawnypelt let out a cry of anger, her vision flashing red. The last thing she saw before she was knocked out was a silver and white fur she-cat apprentice talking to a cat with a ginger pelt.

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 **Ok, so that's a wrap. I'm not very good with dialogue, and I'm not good with characters either. It was worth a try though.**

 **Anyways, thank you SO much for the reviews! I'll try my best to upload on Tuesday!**

 **Happy reading,**

 **-RainbowPrism**


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